A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Laughter isn't just a good feeling; it can also be good medicine. It's good for our hearts as well as for our souls.

I come from a big, extended family, and laughter and joy and fun were always important parts of the Adler clan. It makes sense -- studies show that people tend to laugh thirty times more when they're in a group. I'm convinced that we can get through anything in life if we can laugh about it, and laugh with one another.

Take Sheila Dolan for example. Her laughter has kept her from death, twice -- at least that's her take on it. "Sheila knows she shouldn't be here after beating breast cancer and a blood cot on the brain but she's not about to apologise for her extraordinary good fortune. She doesn't mope about po-faced and whinge about her ordeal - she cracks jokes, frequently, and with all the pitch-perfect timing of a seasoned stand-up comedian."

14 June 2009

Dog Dials 911 to Get Help for Owner: Police say a service dog trained to use the phone called 911 and got help when his Scottsdale, Ariz., owner suffered a serious seizure. Buddy, an 18-month-old German shepherd, used his teeth to press programmed buttons until a 911 dispatcher came on the line.

10 June 2009

Officer Stops Highway Traffic for Duckling Crossing: A traffic cam on interstate I-5 in Seattle shows a police officer pulling over his car and blocking traffic to help a mother duck to lead her baby ducklings across the busy 3-lane highway.